Textile drafting mechanism



NOV. 18, 1952 CABQT 2,618,024

TEXTILE DRAFTING MECHANISM Filed D60. 50, 1949 I i i I i'l v Q :Q

7 20 16 I l7 20 l7 l6 INVENTOR.

DeaneH. Cabot B Patented Nov. 1 8,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,618,024 T'EX'rniE" DRAFTING MECHANISM" Deane A. Cabot, Rumford; R. I2; as'sign'or, by mes'neassignments, to Whitin Machine Works, a corporation of Massachusetts Applicant-tn December 30, 1949, seal N6: -159t '3Claims.

This invention'rlatesin generate drawin mechanisms" or ong"- draft spinning or" roving frames, such as the Casablancas system and other like double belt orapronsys'terns and, more partici larly} isconcerned with an improved manner of mounting th'e'upperbelt 1 in such a drafting system.- v p In the arrangement of this -class'of drafting apparatus new customary the" roving or' sliver is drafted b ypa'ssage between" two parallel runs of a pair of upper and lower endless traveling belts-or aprons which conduct the fibers to' a'front pair of drawingr'olls. Asis custoin'ary' in such systems the belts are'guided laterally'by the two side walls of a crad-1'e or frame structure which rests onthe lowerapron driving 'eleihent while the front loops of i the belts encircle'an'd are guided over and supported either b3? two spaced fingers or by a removable U-shaped member mountedat the forward portion of the cradle. The rear loop of theupperb elt is" supported by a-solid top roll which hastwospaced enlarged cylindrical ortions-over which the rear loop" of an individual upper belt-runs"; the" top roll being mountedfor free rofiafioi'r bbdfly in the side notches of-the' -u siial neb'members' which are carriedby the mp bararms'. Thedo'we'r' belt is positively dri ve'nby the bottomroll upon which the cradle rests and has its rear'loop running over an enlarged cylindricalportion ori this roll arranged between the {side walls of the cradle and provided with a roughdriving strface in engagement with the belt. I

Thecradles us'e'd' for giiiding-thse belts or apronsare each'made up pr two-generally paral lel sheet meta-1 plates arranged separated one from the other at 'a distance "slightl'ygreater than the width of the bodies of the enlarged: cylindrical portions of both apron g'uiding rolls, viz, the top and bottom 'drawir'ig roll's operating within the cradle, as Wllas the width-of the belts or aprons confined therein;- A In this prior arrangernent, the :Widbh of the bodies of the enlarged cylindrical portions'oi both top and bottom apronrolls 'arrangedwithin the cradle must be'very' exact and held'to close inlaif' chining tolerancestoin'sure' their exact ertical alignment and properrunning'within the cradle without binding against the'sideplat'es' of the cradleli In practice, however, manufacturing conditions frequently aresuchthat" they result in dimensional deviations rvariatiom" in the width and/or the disposition "qrtnesennrgfleq bodies on suchdrawi'rig'rolls hereby; in certain instances, "they cannotbesiiprposedwitmn the same'cra ie while in other cases met lack; aim trial correspondence 'in positions oiithe re's'pce tivecooprating-apron rolls as to result in 'th'etop roll member biridihefidwis against the cradle side walls. I V

In order toobviate thesedifiiculties," the presan invention compri e" certain medificatibns and improvements in the construction of the top roll member which suppdrts-driirsiand gii'ides'the upper belt or aprq'mtaaty which is'obtained an fii'cieiit functioning me'chanisirrcapa le of mag life and requiring a m i' num or maintename, no lubrication, afid'eritirel'yfree from the alignmentlahd ri-ibb'in g aimcuities above men tioin'ied. More specifically; this improved "top" roll comprises a noh-rotatiii'g a'iile' and a pair of tubiilar Shel-1 rolls joiirnald fer fi'rotation thereon by'rigidfl iiiold'ed nylon sleeve b'earin'gm'eans disposed axially'withineach shell roll; Nylon is a generic term applied to an entire familt 'of'synthetic linear polyamide resins certain or which are'u's'ed'ii'i' th'e'nianuracture of'syhth'tic te'zitile fibers;

It is according-yen object of thinvention to provide an improved mounting arrangement'of the upper beltor apron member in a long draft dome belt or apron system".

Another object of'the inventioni's to provide an improved top roll of simple construction that will be' self-aligning with res ect to the side wall members between which the active working portion ot'the roll is arranged;

A further object of the invention is to'provide a top roll wherein the rotatable roll member for guiding and driving the upper belt or apron is journaled for freerotation on 'a"'fixed' axle by sleeve bearing means which requires'no'llibrica tion.

A preferred form of the invention is shown in the drawing in which Fig. 1 "is 'asectional end elevation or a portien of'along draft double belt er apron sy tem with my improvemerits applied "thereto;

mg; g is apartiar pmir iew; making in the direction of the arrow II n; Fig. '1 and showing ahorizonta1 section on line 2 2 "of Fig.1;

Fig- 3 is a sectidriai viw'along th'e'liii'et fi or ii i. i

I mg. 4 is a perspective iew: of one time rigid molded plastic sleeve bearings.

f ri an '2; I hive-metereda t o i id fa t im m o a i c ed ft spinning "frar'ne which arehere shown for the r r i st a iohft t comrfismemre sets or pairs of bottom andtop"drawingrollsf 3 viz, back drawing rolls l3 and H, intermediate drawing rolls i2 and i3, and front drawing rolls i l and i5 respectively. The bottom rolls [3 and i i are of usual construction, each having numerous longitudinally fluted bosses l8 and reduced cylindrical neck portions ll spaced alternately along its length (see Fig. 2) on driven shafts which are suitably journaled in the usual roll stands 53 and extend continuously for substantially th entire length of the spinning frame. The top rolls El and it also are of usual construction, each having its ends loosely accommodated within the notches E3 of the usual cap bar nebs 23 which, in turn, are individually adjustable on the spaced cap bar arms 2!. The top rolls ll, l3 and it are forced downward into their cooperative pressure relationship with their companion bottom rolls by appropriate weighting devices (not shown), as is a customary practice. It will be understood that the successive pairs of rolls from back to front are driven at successively higher surface velocities, as is usual practice. The roving R is fed into the nip of the back rolls ill and H and the yarn Y is delivered from the front rolls id and it to appropriate twisting and packaging mechanism which, in this instance, will be a ring and a traveler but, when the application of the present invention is made to a roving frame, will be a roving fiyer.

The top and bottom intermediate rolls l3 and 12 are provided with multiple sets or pairs of ooacting upper and lower endless traveling belts or aprons 23 and 23 respectively in each set for conducting roving or sliver passing between them to the front drawing rolls l3 and 15, the rear loops of these belts encircling and being guided over their associated drawing rolls l2 and I3. The drawing rolls l2 and i3 are here shown as being arranged substantially at right angles to the cap bar arms 2 l.

The lower belt or apron 2 1 is positively driven by the bottom roll i2 the construction of which is similar to the bottom rolls l3 and [3 in that it also is formed with a series of alternately dis posed enlargements or bosses It" and reduced cylindrical neck portions ill on a driven shaft, but differs from the rolls l3 and It by having the peripheries of the bosses or enlargements provided with a roughened surface, such as that formed by knurling, instead of their being longitudinally fluted whereby a positive driving engagement of the roll with the underside of the belt or apron 22 will be maintained without injury to the inner driving surface of the apron or belt.

Associated with each set of belts or aprons is a guiding cradle or frame 25 which is supported by the intermediate rolls l2 and I3 and comprises two sheet metal side plates 23 one at each side of said belts to prevent lateral slipping thereof, each side plate being formed at its front edge with a recess 27 and a projection 23. These ide plates are of identical design and are connected by a pair of transverse bar members 29 and 29' which maintain them in a generally parallel relation and separated at a distance corresponding substantially to the width of both belts or aprons which are guided therebetween. The lower margins of both side plates 26 are recessed or notched as at 33 to straddle the bosses it and fit over or rest upon the cylindrical neck portions ll" of the bottom intermediate roll E2. The upper marginal edge portions of the side plates 23 also are recessed or notched as at 3! to accommodate insertion therethrough of my improved idler top roll l3 and to re eive the corresponding cylindrical enlargements or bosses 32 of the non-rotatable arbor or axle 33 thereof. The axle 33 of this improved top roll l3 extends between a pair of adjoining cap bar arms 21 and is positively held thereby against rotation by having the ends of the arbor or axle 33 provided with fiat portions 34 which are set in the notches E3 in the cap bar nebs 20 carried by said adjoining arms 2|. The novel construction of the top roll l3 will be described in greater detail as the specification proceeds.

The front loops of the belts or aprons 23 and 2d encircle and are internally guided over the front edge of the arm members 35 and 36 respectively of a U-shaped tensor member 31 the arms of which extend crosswise of the front of the cradle 25 through their respective belts, the tensor being removably mounted in the recess 27 formed in the front edge portion of each of the side plates 23 of the cradle frame.

The tensor member 31 conforms in general to construction disclosed in the Casablancas Patent No. 2,075,571 granted March 30, 1937, and is formed as a single U-shaped member having arms 35 and 33 positioned one above the other in vertically spaced relation and connected at one end with the other end of each bar free. The arms 35 and 36 of the tensor member 31 are here shown as being parallel longitudinally, of flat shape, and convergent in cross-section. The rear edges of the arms 35 and 36 have beaded portions 43 and 41 respectively which are so formed that in conjunction with the side plates 26 the bead of the lower of said arms is supported adjacent both its front and rear edges by the projection 23 and the inner lower corner of the recess 21, and the beaded portion of the upper arm is engaged in the inner upper corner of the recess 21 when the pressure of the belts or aprons 23 and 24 holds the tensor member 31 in its normal operating position with respect to the cradle 25 to prevent both forward and rocking movement of the tensor 31 therein. The cradle 25 thus firmly supports the belts or aprons 23 and 24 in operative position with parallel runs closely adjacent, and the aprons also are restrained from lateral or axial displacement by the side plates 26.

The top roll [3 is an idler roll for guiding a pair of top belts or aprons 23 individually within their associated cradle units 25 and consists of the one-piece non-rotatable axle or arbor 33 extending between and set in the cap bar arms 2| and having the two cylindrical enlargements or bosses 32 spaced apart longitudinally of the arbor by the cylindrical intermediate neck portion 45 of smaller diameter. Encircling each of the cylindrical enlarged body portions or bosses 32 and mounted thereon are the hollow cylindrical or tubular shell rolls 43 which form the guiding rollers for the top aprons 23. The outer periphery of each of these shell rolls 45 is roughened, as by knurling, for gripping the inner side of the top belt 23. The rolls 46 each have their inner peripheries well spaced radially from the These sleeves also have their cylindrical body portions #9 situated within the tubular bore ii er the shell roll 46 adjacent its opposite ends by being forced axially therein after introduction from opposite ends of the bore. The physical properties of rigid 'type molded nylon plastic bearings 48 are such that they have a low coefficient of friction again-st polished steel and also have the ability to be used without lubrication for light loads at high speeds or for moderate loads at low speeds. Type FM-10001 nylon thermoplastic molding compound is here mentioned, by way of example, as one particular form of rigid type of commercially available nylon that is adapted to be molded by the injection process into rigid molded bearing shapes or into blanks for machining, and thus is an excellent type of nylon for use in makin the tubular sleeve bearings 48. The mechanical and physical properties and characteristics of type FM- 10001 nylon (polyamide) resin molding compound are set forth in tabulated form in Table I-properties of nylon molding compounds, at page 180 of Modern Plastics Encyclopedia, 1948 edition, published by Plastics Catalogue Corporation, 122 East 42nd St, New York, N. Y., and are as follows: specific gravity 1.14; a tensile strength (at -70 F., 77 F., 170 F.) of 15,700 p. s. i., 10,530 p. s. i., and 7,600 p. s. i., respectively; a modulus of elasticity at '77 F. of 325,000 p. s. i.; an Izod impact strength (at 70 F., 77 F., 170 F.) of 0.42 ft.-lb./in., 0.94 ft.-lb./in., and 0.97 ft.-lb./in., respectively; a Rockwell M scale of hardness of 90; a water absorption factor of 1.5%; and a linear coefficient of expansion per F. of 5.7 10- The cradle units 25 when in operating position are arranged with their side plates 26 straddling the bodies of two of the roughened enlargements or bosses I5 of the lower drawing roll [2 which is disposed below and within the space defined by the vertical planes of the spaced cap bar arms 2 I The side plates of each cradle also embrace the ends of the associated shell roll 3 therein when assembled with said plastic sleeve bearings on said axle whereby said plates tend to automatically align said shell rolls in said cradles by causing them to adjust themselves axially along their respective cylindrical enlargements 32 of the axle 33 into mutual correspondence with the belt driving enlargements or bosses 16 within the cradle of the lower drawing roll l2.

What is claimed is:

1. In a long draft textile machine, a cap bar, a non-rotatable axle held thereby, an idler top roll member on the axle and freely slidable therealong, an endless belt on the top roll member, a lower driven roll having an enlarged belt driving portion, an endless belt on the enlarged portion of said lower driven roll and arranged for cooperating with the upper belt, and a cradle frame unit including a pair of connected spaced side plate members, one at each side of both bolts for guiding the moving belts between them, said cradle frame unit having its upper part adapted to removably receive and be held by the nonrotatable axle of the idler top roll member, and having its lower part adapted to receive and rest upon the lower driven roll and contain the enlarged belt driving portion thereof and be held by its ends against sidewise displacement along the lower driven roll, said idler top roll member together with its endless belt being self-aligning within the cradle frame unit by being readily slidable bodily along the idler top roll axle under 6 the influence of the sideplate members of said cradle frame unit and consequently assuming at all times positions of mutual correspondence. with the belt driving portion of the lower roll and the lower endless belt respectively.

2. In a long draft spinning frame, a cap bar, a non-rotatable axle held thereby, a top roll memher-sleeved on the axle for sliding axially therealong as well-as for free rotation thereon, anendless belt on the top roll member, a lower driven roll having a large roughened belt driving portion and a reduced shaft portion at each end thereof, an endless belt on the said belt driving portion of the lower roll and arranged for cooperating with the upper belt, and a cradle frame unit including a pair of connected spaced side plate members one on each side of the belts for guiding the moving belts between them, said cradle frame unit having the upper edge portion of its side plate members recessed to removably receive the non-rotatable top roll axle and to be held thereby, and. having the lower edge portions of its plate members recessed to readily receive and be supported by the shaft portions of the lower roll as well as to straddle the belt driving portion thereof, the ends of said belt driving portion of the lower roll serving to retain said cradle frame unit and the lower belt against sidewise displacement on the lower roll, said top roll member with its endless belt being self-aligning with in the cradle frame unit by being readily slidable bodily along the top roll axle under the influence of the side plate members of said cradle frame unit and consequently assuming at all times positions of mutual correspondence with the belt driving portion of the lower roll and the lower endless belt respectively.

3. In a long draft spinning frame, a cap bar, a top roll axle removably and non-rotatably held thereby, said axle having a cylindrical enlargement, an idler roll member on the said cylindrical enlargement, an endless belt having its rear loop guided over the idler roll member, a lower driven roll having an enlarged roughened belt driving portion disposed substantially beneath the cylindrical enlargement of the top roll axle, an endless belt having its rear p guided over and in driving engagement with the enlarged belt driving portion of the lower roll and arranged for cooperating with the endless belt on the idler top roll, and a cradle frame unit including a pair of connected spaced side plate members one at each side of the belts for guiding the moving belts between them, said cradle frame unit having its upper part adapted to removably receive and be held by the non-rotatable axle of the idler top roll member, and having its lower part adapted to removably receive and rest upon the lower driven roll and be restrained by the contiguous ends of the enlarged belt driving portion of the lower roll against sidewise displacement on the lower driven roll, said idler top roll member together with its endless belt being self-aligning within the cradle frame unit by being readily slidable bodily along the idler top roll axle under the influence of the side plate members of said cradle frame unit and consequently assuming at all times positions of mutual correspondence with the belt driving portion of the lower roll and the lower endless belt respectively.

DEANE A. CABO'I'.

(References on following page) REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number F112 Mar. 23, 1937 Number Number Name Date Austin June 17, 1941 Cobb Aug. 8, 1944 Dakin Apr. 23, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Apr. 14, 1924 Great Britain Jan. 10, 1945 

